


One Day the Sadness Will End (Part 2)

by Amatara



Series: Albert Appreciation Day [2]
Category: Twin Peaks
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, Food, Gen, Gen or Pre-Slash, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-05
Updated: 2017-04-05
Packaged: 2018-10-15 04:38:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10550194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amatara/pseuds/Amatara
Summary: A collection of prompt fills written for Albert Appreciation Day on tumblr. Mostly fluff, with a sprinkling of angst. This one has all the Albert/Dale fills, the ones involving characters other than Dale arehere.





	1. Albert/Dale #1 (for siverwrites)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: debating the merits of pineapple on pizza.

“What?” Albert paused in pouring hot sauce on his pizza to properly return Cooper’s stare. It was gracing a face that, handsome as it was in Albert’s biased opinion, also sported a decidedly greenish tint. “You and your cast-iron stomach, can’t stand the sight of a man putting condiments on his food?”  
  
“It’s not that.” Cooper gulped, his Adam’s apple bobbing. He glanced down at his own pizza, which contained a heaping portion of practically every ingredient imaginable, down to a generous sprinkling of anchovies. “We’ve ordered pizza on numerous occasions, but you never told me… I wasn’t aware that you liked…” An accusing finger was pointed at Albert’s plate, who still didn’t have a clue what Cooper was babbling on about. True, he usually went for pepperoni and this time he hadn’t, but his choice was still as unoriginal as they came: just cheese, ham, and…  
  
_No._ Really?  
  
“You’re kidding me. Right?” Albert reached for a fork, stabbed at the one ingredient on his pizza that could possibly have caused the fuss. “Pineapple? You’re serious?” He sniffed at the tiny morsel before waving it experimentally in front of Cooper’s face. The horror in the man’s eyes suggested Albert had just committed a treachery akin to a dagger in the back.  
  
When Cooper spoke, the quiet dignity of his words was only just eclipsed by the pallor of his skin. “There are some beliefs I hold sacred, Albert, and one of them is that putting fruit on pizza is a violation of all that’s proper. Of course your life choices are your own, but…”  
  
“Tomatoes are fruits,” Albert said, rolling his eyes, “but I’ve never seen you order a pizza without sauce. And you’re right about my choices. Unlike smoking, I won’t let you talk me into giving up on _this_ particular vice. That gonna be a problem?” Not taking his gaze off Cooper, he popped the piece of pineapple into his mouth, then leaned across the table for a kiss.  
  
He started chuckling when Coop was halfway across the kitchen, and didn’t stop until he heard the door to the bathroom slam closed.

 

*


	2. Albert/Dale #2 (for laughingpinecone)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Albert grows a beard.

Albert starts counting the seconds when he sets foot in the arrivals hall, making it to a narrow three before Cooper’s voice rings out to him. _“Albert - over here, on your right!”_

Even with a grin plastered to his face and wheeling an oversized luggage trolley, Cooper looks like he just strolled out of a movie scene - the choice of suit more appropriate for a gala than an airport reunion, but after a week in the back end of nowhere, Albert isn’t about to complain.

The thing he wants most to do, to wrap Cooper in his arms and kiss that rapturous smirk off his face, is gonna have to wait till later. For now, Albert contents himself with letting his smile reach his eyes, walking up towards Cooper as casually as he can while making sure not to trip over his own damn feet with satisfaction. “Coop,” he says, slinging his one mid-sized bag onto the monstrosity of a trolley. “The size of this thing symbolic for how much I was missed?”

Strangely, Cooper doesn’t respond to the challenge. Instead he’s staring at Albert’s face as if mesmerized, blinking furiously at the sight of…

 _Crap._ Albert rubs a dubious hand across his chin. To be honest, he thought it looked good on him. Well, maybe not good, but not half bad either, and he was cautiously hoping Cooper might agree. Which was a gamble, admittedly, and Cooper’s glazed expression makes him wonder if he gambled all wrong.

“Albert.” Cooper sounds breathless, like he’s still struggling to process the evidence of his senses - and, fuck, Albert should have taken care of this before getting on his flight. “You look…”

“What?” Albert cuts him off, preferring not to find out how that sentence would have ended. “Handsome? Rugged? Ridiculous? Scarring?” He raises an eyebrow in defiance. “Have at it, take your pick.”

“I was going to say ‘different’, possibly ‘captivating’… but ‘handsome’ works just as well.” Cooper takes a measured two paces forward, lifts a hand as if to caress the stubble of beard - although ‘stubble’ feels like an understatement for the collective effort of a full two weeks. Eyes gleaming, he steps back before Albert can protest the intimacy. “So, what confluence of events have we to thank for this?”

“Forgot my razor,” Albert shrugs, suddenly self-conscious. “By the time I got around to buying disposables, I figured I might as well bite the bullet and leave it like this. Thought you’d appreciate the novelty, for amusement value if nothing else. Besides, I always wanted to grow a beard as a kid.”

“Then I will cherish it,” Cooper says, decisively, “as I cherish you, Albert. If you want this, then who am I to come between…”

“It’s not the beard I want, you dolt.” In an impulse, Albert slides a hand onto Cooper’s shoulder, leans in until his chin grazes Cooper’s ear. “I want _you_ , looking at me like you did when you saw me walk in here, to get this mouth all over you as I peel you out of that suit. I want to touch you and know that you need it. It’s you I want, Coop. All the rest is optional.” He breathes out for a ragged moment, then pulls back before his cheeks can start to burn. “If you want the beard gone, then it goes. It’s that simple.”

“Albert…”  Cooper’s face flushes pink, his lips forming a startled ‘o’ of surprise. “You are resplendent to me in every shape or form. Whether or not you’re using a razor couldn’t matter less. I just spent fifteen days craving you; I need your body, your passion, the love in your heart, and I need it before I can no longer contain myself.”

“You do, huh?” Albert scoffs, but his voice cracks on the last word. “Fuck, Coop, then what are we standing around for? Let’s quit talking and get our asses home.”

 

*


	3. Albert/Dale #3 (for renmorris)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Albert overhearing Dale praise him to Diane (or a tape recorder switched off). Albert knowing how much Dale adores him and values him. Dale reaffirming to him that yes! he adores and values him.

Albert isn’t having a bad day, oh, no. ‘Bad’ wouldn’t be nearly enough to satisfy the universe that he, Albert Rosenfield, is reaping exactly what he’s sown. So the day he’s had might just as accurately be described as ‘bad’ as a violent case of the shingles would count as ‘mildly annoying’. Catastrophic, exhausting, an exercise in pointlessness: Albert runs the list of adjectives through his head as he stomps through the office building, not even caring who sees him fuming. Or maybe just caring a little. He slows right before passing Cooper’s office, its door wide open as usual, and he’s got every intention to march right past it… until he hears his name, spoken with such quiet intensity that it makes Albert stop dead in his tracks.

Cooper’s inflection confirms it. He’s talking into his tape recorder, the one he drags along on every case he gets. Albert’s only excuse for not getting himself to move is that he’s suddenly, nauseatingly certain that whatever Cooper has to say about him, if it’s worth committing to tape it then it can’t be flattering. And regardless of anything else he might be, Albert has never been able to stop himself being a masochist. Just look at the people he ends up caring about.

Cooper is talking quietly, in a dreamlike cadence that means what he’s saying is pure unfiltered stream of consciousness. _‘… must admit I was surprised, Diane,’_ is the first thing Albert catches, and then, _‘… unsure how to deal with this. Albert is a coworker, and I do not wish to upset our working relationship. Maybe it’s better not to bring this up at all.’_ No context, no mention of a specific incident, but every word spoken still confirms Albert’s fear. He fucked up, didn’t he? Not just that, but he fucked up with the one person in the Bureau he trusts without question, someone he respects and admires and… _loves_ , even if he’s never confessed to the latter. So what did he do to upset Cooper? Damned if he knows, but Albert has no doubt that he’s abrasive enough to piss off a saint, and he’s made it a point never to go easy on Coop. That would have been a dead giveaway of his feelings, which he’s not about to risk.

At this point he’s barely even listening, too wrapped up in feeling disgusted with himself, but Cooper’s next words snap him out of it. _‘… happy and grateful’_ , Cooper is saying, _‘to have a person like Albert to rely on, Diane. I realize he’s not well-liked by all, but I have found him to be honest and sound of judgment, not to mention the most loyal friend one could wish for. If he is also abrasive and harsh, I am happy to bear with those traits, knowing the depth of dedication and love that he wields, not to mention…’_

Albert’s brain is spinning. He braces himself against the wall, remembering, too late, the stack of paper he still has tucked under one arm. It slips out and drops to the floor with dramatically comical timing, papers flying everywhere, and Albert almost turns around and flees from the spot -

Except there is Cooper, tucking his head around the door, his eyes lighting up like a goddamn Christmas tree. “Albert?” The surprise on Cooper’s face fades as he sees the scattered paperwork; he blinks down at the tape recorder in his own hand. “Ah,” he breathes. “I take it you heard…”

“Yeah. Sorry,” Albert mutters, fumbling to pick up the mess so he can get out of here with some of his dignity intact. “I heard my name in passing. I thought you were complaining, that I’d screwed up. I wanted to hear what you had to say.”

“Screwed up?” The surprise in Cooper’s voice is utterly unfeigned. “Albert, surely you know how much I enjoy working with you. I may not have expressed my appreciation in words before, but I never… At least I hope I didn’t…” The next thing he knows, Cooper is kneeling beside him on the floor. “Albert. You didn’t truly doubt that I enjoy your company?”

Albert shrugs. “Yes. No. I - I don’t know.” Dammit, he’s so far out of his comfort zone that he’s actually starting to ramble. “I wouldn’t wish my company on any decent human being, but I admit to holding out hope that you genuinely did not resent working with me. As for _enjoying_ my presence, I’ve never been one to cling to fantasies, so you’ll forgive me if I didn’t think…”

Albert has never let himself be shut up without a fight, not even by Dale Cooper. But even Cooper on his worst days tends to have _some_ sense of boundaries, and so Albert is utterly unprepared when the next thing Cooper does is lean in and wrap his arms around him, pulling him close.

“Albert, you’re one of the best men I know.” He says it in a whisper, his chin just nicking Albert’s ear. “I trust you without hesitation. I deeply admire your competence and insight. And I… adore you, quite frankly, for being who you are.”

The declaration must have taken less than ten seconds, but Albert feels like the world’s just been kicked out from under him. Cooper, on his part, looks composed as ever, like this is just par for the course for him. The second he lets go he’s all business again, except for a tiny, private smile as he gets to his feet.

By the time Albert gets his legs to cooperate, Cooper has vanished into his office. Albert barely makes it back to his own before the waterworks start.

 

*


	4. Albert/Dale #4 (for anon)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: comfort/fluff, semi-platonic begrudging cuddling post case.

Albert isn’t sure when they started to ask for adjoining motel rooms, or at which point it was decided to leave the connecting door open. He vaguely recalls some long-ago case, both of them rattled and exhausted, Albert insisting they should be able to check in on each other. What he meant, of course, and still means, is that Cooper’s nightly visions give him the creeps, and he’d rather have them happen where he can keep an eye on things than behind several inches of solid wall. Whatever started the arrangement, by now it’s become a habit, and especially after wrapping up a case as nasty as this one, Albert feels no need for that to change.

They checked in a couple of days ago, but between Cooper’s meticulous cleanliness and Albert’s lab-inspired lack of clutter, both rooms still look mostly pristine. Albert gets rid of his tie within twenty seconds of arriving, then pads over to the other room, where Cooper’s sitting on the bed exchanging his shoes for slippers. Albert gives it a few seconds before clearing his throat.

“Hey.” Long beat. “I’m sorry about how this turned out.”

Cooper doesn’t react to his presence, except with a minuscule nod of his head. “There’s no need to apologize. You were right, I was wrong. The jealous lover did it, then continued killing to cover his tracks. I was so focused on trying to grasp the big picture, ascribe what had happened to some larger mystery, that I didn’t realize sometimes there’s no big picture to see.”

Albert takes a cautious step closer. Damn it. Is that how this is going to be? “Coop… Just because I’m a cynical bastard who isn’t capable of seeing the best in people, and you assume the best even to your own detriment, doesn’t mean we can’t both be right. It’s never wrong to…”

“It’s wrong when it’s wishful thinking,” Cooper mutters. “I don’t think I lost my objectivity here, but I came close enough that it makes no difference. I need to draw some lessons from it. This world is a good one, Albert, I have to believe that, but…”

“Sometimes the world does its damnedest to make you change your mind.” Albert reaches the edge of the mattress, gingerly lowers himself beside the man he still isn’t sure what earned him the privilege to call his friend. “I know. And I’m the last person on Earth who should be trying to convince you of this, but… If the world isn’t rotten, then it’s because of people like you, who are too stubborn to refuse to accept that it is.”

A small smile touches Cooper’s face. “That’s a rather fatalistic worldview, Albert.”

“No, it isn’t. It means I believe everything we do matters, and if that’s not an endorsement for you to keep hanging in there, I don’t know what is. C’mere.”

Cooper fits in Albert arms like he was meant to, although that thought is one Albert doesn’t often allow himself. But the way they melt against each other is one of slow-forged familiarity, Cooper’s breathing evening out with Albert’s hand stroking his back. They sit in silence for a couple of minutes, eyes closed as if to shut out the world - not that the world would let them, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try. Then Cooper stirs and mutters, “Thank you, Albert.” His fingers are warm against Albert’s knee.

“You’re welcome.” Beside him, Cooper stretches like a cat, and it’s all Albert can do not to cling to him, hang on to the moment for a little while longer. But no. Cooper needs him, needs his steadiness and his objectivity, and Albert isn’t sure how a thing like that ever happened, but there’s no doubt in his mind that it’s true. Cooper wants to save the world, so it’s up to Albert to be there and make sure no one forgets to save Cooper as well.

As for him: the door between them won’t close tonight, and that’s already more than he knows he deserves.

 

*


End file.
